Insect Doctors Research

At this INSECT DOCTORS page you will find soon the Research Projects of the hired PhD students within the INSECT DOCTORS programme.

The PhD projects intended to start in April or May 2020. Due to the Covid-19 the PhD students have to start later. They will all be enrolled in double degree constructions involving universities in two countries.

Research Projects per Work Package

The research is divided over three science themes and each will consists of 5 Research Projects. The country of the hiring organisation is placed witihin brackets.

1. Pathogen-host interactions (RP1-5)

Discovering interactions between pathogens and insect hosts, and determining abiotic and biotic triggers for disease outbreaks.

  • RP1 Nudivirus replication mechanism (NL)
  • RP2 Behavioural manipulation of and co-evolutionary processes between fungi and flies (DK)
  • RP3 Interactions between pathogens infecting crickets: who paves the ay for the other? (DK)
  • RP4 Microsporidia infection and virulence at varying population densities (UK)
  • RP5 Impact of multiple biotic and abiotic stressors on pathogenesis in mealworms and wax moths (UK)

2. Covert infections and pathogen detection (RP6-10)

Understanding the molecular mechanisms behind latency / persistence (covert infections) and how to discover / detect pathogens to prevent disease outbreaks.

  • RP6 Mechanisms behind covert infections: DNA viruses (NL)
  • RP7 Interaction between tsetse fly associated covert viruses and endosymbionts (NL)
  • RP8 Covert infections with RNA viruses in the Mediterranean fruit fly (ES)
  • RP9 Virus discovery in reared insects (FR)
  • RP10 Development of diagnostics tools for pathogen detection in a variety of mass reared insects (DE)

3. Increasing insect resistance against pathogens (RP10-15)

Focussing on the interactions between pathogens and
the insect microbiome and how nutritional adaptations can increase fitness of
reared insects.

  • RP11 Exploring nutritional adaptation of host-specific and generalist insect-pathogenic fungi (DK)
  • RP12 The role of microbiota in host resistance against bacterial and fungal pathogens in wax moths (FR)
  • RP13 Food and probiotics in insect health and pathogen resistance (FR)
  • RP14 Microbiota mediated food protection against lepidopteran pathogens (FR)
  • RP15 Experimental evolution of insect gut symbionts to improve fitness under SIT and transgenic mass release (UK)